[5] Lippestad's parents, originally from Nordstrand in Oslo had moved to the village of Heradsbygd outside of Hønefoss, where his father worked as an engineer.

[8] It was while working here that Lippestad first came to the national spotlight, when he represented Ole Nicolai Kvisler, who was later convicted of participation in the racially motivated murder of Benjamin Hermansen in 2002.

[8] In July 2011, he was appointed as defence counsel for Anders Behring Breivik, the perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks, after the latter specifically requested him.

[14] Before the trial Lippestad told the French newspaper Le Monde: "I feel I have lost my soul in this case [...] I hope to get it back once it's over – and that it will be in the same condition as before."

[14] At the trial, Lippestad chose not to argue for the innocence of his client, although Breivik himself had specifically requested to be acquitted due to the legal principle of necessity.

In his closing arguments, Lippestad asked only for his client to be found sane and to be sentenced leniently without mentioning the subject of culpability.

[16] Although Lippestad successfully argued before the court that his client was legally sane and competent, Breivik was found guilty and sentenced to the maximum penalty of 21 years in containment.

[17] The prosecution had asked for Breivik to be formally acquitted and found legally insane, and sentenced to mandatory psychiatric confinement.

[18] After the sentencing of Breivik, Lippestad formally transferred the legal responsibility of his client within the law-firm to Tord Jordet, thereby ceasing to be his official defence attorney.

In its citation, the jury wrote that the Lippestad couple reflects a set of values where respect and an unwavering belief in human life, no matter what situation you are in, is the basis.

[35] He later echoed his statements in an interview with Dagbladet, claiming that there is a lack of options for mothers who wish to give birth to a child with disability.

[41] Two of the children were born with disabilities and one of them, 16-year-old Rebekka, was critically ill early in 2012, in the midst of Lippestad's preparations for the Breivik trial.

She pulled through the crisis which also coincided with Lippestad's wife giving birth to a baby girl, Mille Madicken.

[44] Many high-profile attorneys as well as legal scholars were of the opinion that Lippestad had breached the attorney-client privilege as well being disloyal to his client.

The leader of the Norwegian Bar Association Berit Reiss-Andersen accused Lippestad of exploiting his role as a defence attorney in order to create "another platform for himself in the public sphere".

[46] After formally hearing the case, the Main Board unanimously ruled that Lippestad had not breached legal ethics, thereby avoiding sanctions.